Ubuntu There will be two major Ubuntu releases in 2012 – Ubuntu 12.04, also known as Precise Pangolin, and the as-yet-unnamed 12.10 release in October. 12.04 is a long-term support (LTS) release and will be supported for five years. At the Ubuntu Developer Summit for 12.04. Mark Shuttleworth shared plans for the Unity desktop on future Ubuntu releases that will extend to other devices, such as handsets, in a couple of years. For now, you can expect even more quicklists in Unity, with plans to add one for the Transmission torrent client, the Ubuntu oneCloud service, and for each app within LibreOffice. The Ubuntu Button will also have quicklists for lenses. Expect the default Ubuntu installation to ship with more lenses, which will also be installable from the Ubuntu Software Centre. There were also discussions on how to equip Ubuntu with a calendaring app. which it lost when Gnome’s Evolution was replaced by Mozilla’s Thunderbird in 11.10. Also expect a slicker LightDM display manager. Plans for doubling the size of the default ISO from 700MB to 1500MB were shelved, but the ISC for Ubuntu 12.04 will be 750MB. The developers plan to use the extra 50MB for accommodating apps and adding new Unity lenses. Ubuntu will recommend the 64-bit version of the distro over the 32-bit version because of better support for installing apps of other architectures, thanks to the multiarch library. Support for booting Ubuntu on machines using the UEFI firmware has been added only to the 64-bit version. Fedora Fedora 17, dubbed Beefy Miracle, will be on the heels of Ubuntu 12.04. One of the less noticeable changes will be the inclusion of Btrfs as the default filesystem in Fedora releases. Btrfs has several advantages over EXT4, and is better optimized for solid-state drives. According to Fedora developer Rahul Sundararn, switching to Btrfs as default will allow...

These are good times for users of RPM-based distributions. The two behemoths of RPM-land, OpenSUSE and Fedora, have just released new iterations and here we pit them against each other to see if they have what it takes to win the coveted real estate on your hard disk. Both offer similar download options. You can grab a DVD or try installable live CDs for your favorite graphical environment. Gnome or KDE. Both also have loads of theme-based spins or derivatives, with apps and tools for deployments in specialized fields. Behind the scenes, both are running on patched versions of Linux kernel 3.1. which boasts improved support for Wi-Fi drivers and lots more. SystemD, the replacement for the SysV init daemon, was already a part of Fedora 15. but it’s been further improved here. The Red Hat developers also collaborated with OpenSUSE to get SystemD onto 12.1. While OpenSUSE is still using Grub Legacy for booting duties. Fedora has finally switched to Grub 2. Conversely. OpenSUSE, like the latest Ubuntu 11.10. uses the lightweight and zippy LightDM display manager, while Fedora continues with Gdm. Installation For this comparison, we’re using the install-only DVDs of both distros. Both Fedora’s Anaconda and OpenSUSE’s Yast have mastered the art of user friendly installations. OpenSUSE 12.1 suggests a default partitioning scheme and gives you the option to edit it. Advanced users can create their own layout using the in-built partitioning tool. If you don’t have free space, the installer offers to carve some out from existing partitions. Similarly, Fedora 16 lets you create a new partition if you have space. If not. you can either wipe all other operating systems, wipe just the existing Linux system, or ask the installer to shrink a partition. Advanced users get the flexibility to create a custom layout. Both distros default to ext4 and offer the option to...